'Wicked: For Good' review: Serviceable sequel misses the original's magic

In the sequel to last year’s musical "Wicked," Glinda the Good Witch finally gets her bubble — you know, the one she floats around in. Alas, it's mechanical, not magical. One irony of this topsy-turvy take on "The Wizard of Oz" is that Glinda, played by the perky pop star Ariana Grande, has no real powers — a point the conniving Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) likes to drive home. Glinda also gets a wand made of fake crystal.

"The wand really sells it," says Morrible, although as the Ozians might say: She doesn’t sound too convincified.

There is indeed a lack of magic in "Wicked: For Good," which brings Universal’s two-part adaptation of the smash Broadway musical to an end. Part One was a sumptuous, sparkling, nearly three-hour indulgence led by a soulful Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, a green-skinned schoolgirl destined to become the Wicked Witch of the West, and a note-perfect Grande as a pampered, popular classmate. Set mostly in the whimsical halls of Shiz University, the first "Wicked" felt like "Harry Potter" meets "Mean Girls," with lovely songs by Roslyn Heights native Stephen Schwartz and lively direction from Jon M. Chu ("Crazy Rich Asians"). Between then and now, however, something happened along the Yellow Brick Road.

For reasons that are hard to put a finger on, "Wicked: For Good" feels a little perfunctory. The pacing is rushed; this film is 23 minutes shorter than the first. Important moments, such as the rift between Nessarose (Elphaba’s sister, played by Marissa Bode) and the Munchkin Boq (Ethan Slater), fly by quickly and leave little emotional impact. Jonathan Bailey’s intriguing Fiyero, who promised to upend our expectations of the handsome prince, here just meets them. And the talking animals of Oz, imprisoned by an oppressive regime, are mostly reduced to a plot device. Dr. Dillamond, the wise goat previously voiced by Peter Dinklage, reappears but never speaks.)

The good news is that Erivo and Grande are still in fine voice, while Jeff Goldblum sashays charmingly through his role as the fraudulent Wizard. Schwartz turns in two new songs (Elphaba’s "No Place Like Home" and Glinda’s "The Girl in the Bubble") that blend seamlessly with the originals. There’s also an appealing love scene between — mild spoiler — Elphaba and Fiyero that finds the perfect midpoint between steamy and tender. ("For the first time," Elphaba says baring one green shoulder, "I feel wicked.")

The last act of any musical, especially one that aims to rework such now-mythical figures as Dorothy and the Scarecrow in surprising new ways, really ought to knock your socks off. "Wicked: For Good" only tugs at them. Fans may find the movie serviceable enough, but others may find it underwhelmifying.

By Rafer Guzmán

rafer.guzman@newsday.com